DM Monitoring
New Delhi: Canada’s inquiry into foreign interference in its last two federal elections has named India and China and called for Ottawa to “do more”, according to a top secret briefing report obtained by Global News.
The declassified document, dated February 24, 2023 and titled “Briefing to the Minister of Democratic Institutions on Foreign Interference”, has called China “by far the most significant threat” while also naming India as a foreign interference threat.
The outlet quoted the report as saying that “we must do more to protect Canada’s robust democratic institutions and processes.”
Global News said that the briefing report was released to it under the Access to Information Act as a commission of inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s recent elections got underway in Ottawa.
The commission wrapped up its first set of hearings on Friday (February 2).
While the intelligence report devoted almost three pages to India’s role, the excerpts were entirely redacted except for a single sentence that said: “India engages in FI [foreign interference] activities.”
India is the only country identified by name aside from China.
Last month, The Wire reported a statement by the foreign interference commission as saying it had requested the Canadian government to provide information related to alleged interference the Indian government in Canadian elections.
“Pursuant to its Terms of Reference, the Foreign Interference Commission has requested that the Government of Canada’s collection and production of document relating to paragraphs clause (a)(i)(A) and (a)(i)(B) of its Terms of Reference include information and documents relating to alleged interference by India related to the 2019 and 2021 elections,” the statement said.
The briefing report accessed by Global News states that China’s extent of foreign interference in Canada is “significant, pervasive and directed against all levels of government and civil society all across the country.”
The report has called for “clearly articulated strategies”, adding that raising awareness and briefing officials and politicians was “central to these efforts”.
It said that all government agencies must work to “detect, disrupt and publicise” interference.
“The responsibility to counter these harmful activities must be shared across government, including provincial and municipal partners,” it added.
When the commission was launched in September 2023, it explicitly mentioned that it would examine interference in Canadian elections by China, Russia and unnamed “foreign actors” during the first phase of its functioning.
However, according to last month’s press release, the commission made it clear that India’s potential role was also being examined.
After the intelligence briefing report, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September publicly accused India of being behind the shooting of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was proscribed as a Khalistani terrorist by Indian security agencies.
Subsequently, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, an ally of the Trudeau government, had written to the commission to look into India’s role in having influenced elections through its large diaspora.
India on its part had denied the accusation, with both countries expelling a diplomat each. India had also stopped visa services for Canadian nationals, which it resumed after about a month.
New Delhi also asked Canada to cut down its diplomatic presence so that there is parity, which led Ottawa to withdraw over 40 diplomats.
Subsequently, US federal prosecutors announced in November that there was a possible link between Nijjar’s killing and the foiling of an alleged plot to kill a Canadian-American Khalistan supporter in New York.
According to Global News, the Feburary 2023 intelligence report also called for “decisive action” and the imposition of “consequences on perpetrators”.
“Ultimately, better protecting Canadian democratic institutions against FI will require a shift in the government’s perspective and a willingness to take decisive action and impose consequences on perpetrators,” Global News quoted the briefing as saying.
“Until FI is viewed as constituting an existential threat to Canadian democracy and the government forcefully and actively responds, these threats will persist.”
